Overtime with Kyle Brennan

The Indy 500 is right up there among my favorite events on the sporting calendar. I can already hear the mumbles under our readers’ collective breath — is racing even a sport? …are you crazy? … you like watching guys drive in a circle for 2 ½ hours? The answers to all of the above are yes. The whole event that is the Indy 500 is tremendous. First of all, it’s smack dab in the middle of perhaps the most underrated weekend of the year. Second, there are no other high-profile events that draw a quarter-million spectators in such a relatively small area. Third, this is as American of an institution as exists in our sporting landscape. You’ve got cars. You’ve got cookouts (while you’re watching the race at home, of course). You’ve got milk. You’ve got the blue sky of Indiana glimmering over Gasoline Alley while someone belts the Star-Spangled Banner and an old woman tells the ladies and gentlemen to start their engines. It’s just all tremendous. And thankfully, we finally got an American back into victory lane. What a terrific day it was.

The Valley Dodgeball Classic is finally this Saturday at Woodland, and I extend my personal invitation for you to come hang out with us for the day. The games begin at 10:30 a.m. (registration for anybody who has signed up starts at 8:30 a.m.) and finish around 5 p.m. or so. We’ll have lunch available for our spectators to buy, raffles and games to play and T-shirts to wear. And, after it’s all done at Woodland, we invite you down to the New Harvest Restaurant for our after-party with great deals on drinks and food (just for everybody who comes from the dodgeball tournament). Come on out and have some fun while supporting Beacon Hose, The Susie Foundation and the WRHS Alumni Association.

Beacon Hose Softball

We enjoyed a holiday weekend without softball — we’ve got a lot of nagging injuries and a growing disabled list — but will return to action this weekend as we begin a three-game homestand at the Beacon Falls Recreation Complex. We’re hoping to play Sunday afternoon, but our schedule is still a little up in the air. Check out Beacon Hose’s Facebook page for all the updates … and look out for our first win! (Hopefully?)

Celebrate Our Own Ernie

CN sports correspondent Ernie Bertothy is closing in on his wedding date, so we’re breaking our usual rule here at CN and giving out some information about his upcoming stag party. Join EJ’s friends on Saturday, June 21, at 6 p.m. at Santos Restaurant in Naugatuck for a night of buffet, beer and raffle prizes. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at the door. The organizers ask that you RSVP to Mike by June 7 at (860) 299-4465. Congratulations, Ernie!

Word from the Woods

Boys Tennis

Woodland’s regular season came to an end Tuesday with a 7-2 loss to Kennedy. Jack Walsh earned the Hawks’ lone singles victory while the team of James Nelson and Chris Pinevich gained a doubles win. Woodland (4-15) missed out on the state tournament and concluded its season with the Naugatuck Valley League singles and doubles tournaments this week.

Golf

The Hawks (9-8) suffered another narrow loss Tuesday at the Torrington Country Club. Woodland’s 186 was four strokes shy of the Red Raiders’ 182, although Mike Erickson won the match’s medal with a 40. Ryan Warner checked in with a 44, Andy O’Dell posted a 49 and Owen Harris carded a 53. The Hawks bounced back Thursday defeating Sacred Heart by 20 strokes, 185-205. Erickson won the match’s medal with a 39. Woodland is scheduled to conclude the regular season Monday against East Hampton. The NVL championships will be June 5 in Watertown.

Naugy Notes

Boys Tennis

Naugatuck concluded its regular season on a 10-match winning streak, including a final victory last Friday against Holy Cross. The Greyhounds pulled out a 6-3 win against the Crusaders, but individual results were not reported. The Greyhounds finished the season with a 16-2 record and qualified for the Class L state tournament, which begins Saturday. Naugy competed in the NVL singles and doubles tournament this week, with Mike Popescu fell in the finals of the singles tournament to Wolcott’s Alex Gauthier.

Golf

The ‘Hounds (11-6) kept up their winning ways Tuesday with a 188-191 victory over St. Paul at Hop Brook Golf Course. Nick Tribanas paced Naugy with a 42, while Jake Alcorace (47), Dan Capone (49), Brendan Waldron (50) and Tyler Sounanthanam (50) rounded out the Greyhounds’ scoring. Naugy played at Torrington Thursday after press time. The results were not reported as of this post. The Greyhounds will conclude the regular season at Holy Cross Tuesday before the NVL championships June 5 in Watertown.